What is Subud?
“Every person will find for himself or herself the right way towards God, and what may be the right way for one may be completely wrong for another. Therefore you must discover your own self, and develop your own inner self if you want to find the way to God. You must not follow or imitate anyone else.”
Muhammad Subuh Sumohadjiwidjojo.
The word Subud describes those who follow the inner or spiritual training usually referred to as the ‘latihan’.
Subud is a way to renew contact with the power of God, or the Great Life Force.
It is a direct spiritual experience.
Receiving this contact re-awakens your inner feeling and puts you in touch with your own guidance.
It is a simple, natural process that occurs without effort or study.
It is an experience which grows from inside.
It is a spiritual experience not a religion, and is open to members of all religions as well as those with no particular religious affiliation.
Quick Overview
Where Did It Come From?
This contact was first received in Indonesia in 1925 by Bapak Muhammad Subuh Sumohadiwidjojo (1901-1987). After three years of receiving this spiritual experience, which he called the latihan kejiwaan, Indonesian for spiritual exercise, Bapak was able to pass it on to others. In time, they also were able to transmit it to those who asked.
How Can I Experience It?
If you are seventeen or older you can receive the contact for the first time by being present with others who are doing their latihan. This is called the opening. The latihan is usually done twice a week and lasts about thirty minutes.
How Does It Work?
People receive according to their own natures. As the latihan goes deeper, you begin to receive and understand the inner guidance which accompanies you through your life. You can be in contact with this spiritual experience, without any intermediary, any time, anywhere.
What Is The Benefit?
Although Subud is not a religion, many have found a deeper understanding of their own beliefs from the evidence they receive for themselves. In the eighty countries that have Subud groups, people of different races, nationalities, religions and those who aren’t religious experience a feeling of harmony from receiving the latihan together.
Do I Have To Believe in God to Join Subud?
No, but it helps to believe in a power higher than yourself. Isn’t God, (and any other name for God), simply a symbolic title for that which is beyond our understanding?
How Do I Join Subud?
You may find local Subud groups in your area by going to the Contact page. There you will find a list of Subud Centres in each State. If you don’t live near one of the centres you may also send an email to the Editor.
The best way to find out about Subud is to talk to Subud people. There are groups all around Australia. Contact your local group to have a chat. We are always happy to answer your queries.
A First Introduction to Subud
Historically speaking, Subud began in about 1925, when a Javanese man named Muhammad Subuh Sumohadiwidjojo, (usually referred to as Bapak by Subud members), first received a dramatic, unexpected contact with the Power of God. Bapak is the usual term of respect for an older man in Indonesia.
This initiated a period of three years of intensive experiences. At the end of this time he was told, in answer to his prayer, that this gift might be shared; that it was not for himself alone, but that he might transmit it to everyone who asked for it, although he was not to seek people out but only to wait for them to come to him and inquire. People began to ask Bapak to receive the contact.
The name Subud (which has no connection to Bapak’s name) was first used in 1947.
It was not until 1956 that Subud first reached the West and since that time it has spread to nearly every country in the world. Bapak made many journeys outside his own country during the years following 1957 and until quite shortly before his death in 1987.
Bapak was not a teacher or a leader. When he travelled all over the world he gave what he said was just advice and guidance; as he explained, all the teaching necessary for mankind has already been given to us.
No official effort is made to advertise Subud and it spreads mainly through personal introduction and living example. Nevertheless, a number of books have by now been written on the subject by various people and have served to awaken interest in readers who recognise something for which, consciously or unconsciously, they have been seeking. There are also websites in many countries.
The Latihan
“… through the latihan we become aware of the Great Life which extends beyond the boundaries of this world.” Bapak.
The latihan kedjiwaan (spiritual exercise) is the basis of Subud and it is usually shortened to ‘Latihan’ by members. The latihan cannot be taught or imitated . It arises spontaneously from within, after the first contact with the Power of God has been received by transmission through a person in whom it is already established. It is a unique experience for each individual according to his or her needs. It does not arise through any human action or volition, nor by the use of the heart and mind, but simply arises from the Source. At the same time, the human will is free at any moment to intervene and stop the action of the latihan, which continues only as long as we willingly submit to it.
Those who are authorised to transmit the contact, the "helpers", do nothing to or for the person who receives it. They simply follow their own latihan together with the new member who has come to receive it. Of its own accord the same process then begins in the new member, and continues thereafter to work without the need for any use of thought and desire, or any act of will beyond the initial consent.
All that is required, either at the time of first receiving the contact, or on any subsequent occasions on which the latihan is followed, is an inner attitude of sincere surrender. The latihan is practised twice weekly in company with other members of one's own gender, accompanied by one or more of the helpers.
Experiences in the latihan vary enormously. It is different for everyone, and for each person at different times. In the beginning it can take the form of physical movement and sounds.
The latihan’s action is one of purification and inner growth. This is why there is no teaching in Subud; God alone is the teacher.
“The spiritual latihan of two people can never be the same, because everyone is different from everyone else. Therefore it is clear that there cannot be a theory or spiritual teaching in Subud because each person is different.”